I've been selling my clothes on Poshmark for 7 months. Here's how the algorithm works and how to get sales and followers.

• Many people are starting resale side hustles on Poshmark, myself included.
• I've learned that engagement on the app determines my sales more than anything else.

If there's one thing you should know about starting a resale side hustle on Poshmark, it's that your engagement on the app determines your sales more than anything else.

You can use the app's algorithms to your advantage. In fact, if you think of Poshmark more as a social-media platform and less as a marketplace, you may see greater success. The more time you spend on the app engaging with other users, the more you get out of it.

From mothers to college students, many people are turning to at-home side hustles like selling on Poshmark amid recession fears. Some Poshmark sellers can make six figures in sales on the platform.

I started selling on Poshmark in June to get rid of clothes I didn't wear and make room for my thrift-shopping habit. I hoped to earn a little cash from it but wasn't expecting anything major: Having interviewed several Poshmark sellers who've earned six figures, I knew that getting to their level was a full-time job.

I made my first sale about two weeks after listing my first 15 items. From there, it became an addicting game to list more clothes and make another sale. In seven months, I've listed 60 items, made 10 sales, and earned $78.68, which isn't too bad for clothes I would have normally given to my local donation store.

Here's how the algorithm works and how to use it to your advantage.

If you need an explanation of any of the Poshmark lingo used below, check out this.

Getting likes, followers, and sales on Poshmark is just as addicting as it is on social media

As soon as I started listing my clothes on Poshmark, I got a wave of followers on the app. But I realized that a few hundred followers were nothing by Poshmark standards. Power sellers can have between 80,000 and 200,000 followers. I'm at a meager 4,230.

As people liked and shared my listings, I became hooked on refreshing my feed. And I felt compelled to list more clothes. I scavenged my closet for more things I could part with.

Poshmark incentivizes sellers who engage

Becoming a Poshmark ambassador is a coveted status on the app.

Once you get this special star on your profile, it signals that you're a trusted seller with proven results, and your listings will be promoted more prominently in people's feeds.

Some of the requirements to reach this milestone are pretty simple, like sharing 50 new sellers' listings and maintaining an average 4.5 seller rating from customers.

Others are time-consuming, like sharing your listings 5,000 times and sharing other sellers' listings 5,000 times.

Some sellers purchase apps or hire virtual assistants to do these tedious tasks for them. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way, as I have, and slowly share as many listings as possible.

Ultimately, the ambassador program is just another way Poshmark gets users to stay engaged.

The company's CEO calls this building a "community," but it all points to it being more of a social platform than a resale marketplace.

TL;DR: More engagement equals more sales

Most social apps share a common goal: Keep users on their feeds for as long as possible. So if you want to make money on Poshmark, you'll have to put in the time.

One hack I've discovered to quickly gain more followers is to go to the "new people" tab and hit "follow" on every account as you scroll through.

Doing this can increase your followers, bringing more eyes to your listings and making sales more likely. This is also probably why new sellers get a ton of followers when they first join or list items.

The more you list, share, and follow, the more sales you'll make.